The House voted Tuesday to censure North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards over sexual harassment allegations in a rare public rebuke of a member.
The measure passed by an overwhelming 413-2 vote, with only Mr. Edwards himself and Rep. Ralph Norman, a South Carolina Republican, in opposition.
The bipartisan panel said it found “substantial reason” to believe he “violated House Rules related to sexual harassment and hostile workplaces.”
The committee’s report stated that Mr. Edwards “engaged in persistent unprofessional and inappropriate conduct towards two young female staffers,” citing repeated gifts, comments on their appearance, and invitations to “intimate dinners and vacations.”
Ahead of the vote, many Republicans were prepared to censure Mr. Edwards based on the committee’s recommendation.
“I’ve enjoyed working with Chuck. He’s been a good colleague, but the ethics committee put out the report, and I’ve used that as sort of my compass,” Rep. Don Bacon, Nebraska Republican, told The Washington Times. “I think due process was done here.”
Mr. Edwards has already ended his reelection campaign.
Rep. Randy Fine, Florida Republican, told The Times ahead of the vote that reading Mr. Edwards’ cloying letters to staffers had brought him to support censure.
“I read the letters,” he said. “I looked at some of the evidence, and I just don’t think it’s appropriate behavior for a member of Congress.”
In one such letter thanking a staffer for her time in his office, Mr. Edwards wrote, “Most meaningful to me were the many glimpses you allowed me into your life. … I was always deeply moved that you trusted me with this openness.”
He also gave staffers lavish gifts, such as several tubs of ice cream, guns, and an invitation to watch an Adam Sandler comedy show with him.
Mr. Edwards argued after the ethics report was released that his behavior does not amount to sexual harassment.
“An affectionate friendship is not a sexual proposition. A gift is not sexual misconduct. A compliment is not sexual misconduct. Poetry is not sexual misconduct,” he wrote, adding that he had given gifts to male staffers as well.
“I gave gifts to other members of my staff — male and female — including wine, olive oil, cookware, rum, Kennedy Center tickets and even a handgun to a male staffer,” he wrote.
The committee found no evidence Mr. Edwards “engaged in sexual activity with or explicitly propositioned” staffers. However, it alleges he was aware “his excessive attention toward the young women had led to rumors and innuendo in the office.”
Mr. Edwards’ explanation convinced some Republicans.
“It would be unprecedented to censure with the set of facts in this case,” Rep. Andy Harris, Maryland Republican, told The Times before the vote. “Read the opinion of the defendant in the case, the congressman. It set it out pretty clearly.”
Mr. Harris did not vote on the resolution, remaining in his seat in the back of the chamber.
Mr. Norman had declared his opposition to censure. He cited House Republicans’ failure to censure Stacey Plaskett, a Democratic delegate for the Virgin Islands accused of colluding with sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, as reason not to censure Mr. Edwards.
Mr. Edwards is the first member to be censured since Rep. Al Green, Texas Democrat, was censured in March 2025 for disrupting President Trump’s address to Congress.
The House Ethics Committee is currently investigating Rep. Jimmy Gomez, California Democrat, for alleged sexual misconduct.
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